I bit off WAY more than I can chew signing up for HBD, but I'm very interested in getting up and going. And since the preseason cycles have begun and we're moving, I was wondering if any of you wouldn't mind sitemailing me if you're interested in helping me out. Hell, I'm hiring/rehiring coaches at the moment and I'm not sure by the look of the screen if I'm good where I'm at or if I need to hire more/new coaches.

So, like I said... But off a little more than I can chew, but I'm willing to listen to a couple of you if you think you've got the time to deal with me.

1) ML pitching/hitting/bench coaches should have 80+ in their core skill
2) ML 3B coach ideally has baserunning 70+
3) ML bullpen coach has pitching 70+
4) AAA coaches should have 70+ core ratings
5) AA coaches should have 65+ core ratings
6) Hi-A coaches should have 60+ core ratings
7) Lo-A coaches should have 55+ core ratings
8) If you have a prospect who is worth anything, he shouldn't go in rookie ball, so put whatever garbage you want here
9) Ideally, you want every coach to have 50+ patience and discipline. Patience is more important in the minor leagues
10) The higher the coach's loyalty rating, the more likely he is to re-sign with you. A great coach with 90 loyalty is worth whatever you pay to get him.

If you want more advice, feel free to sitemail me. I know more than some and less than others.

Plus 1 more thing: The fielding coach is arguably the most important coach in your organization. He travels around to all of your ML and MiL teams. Pay whatever it takes to get a really good one, with a fielding rating of 80+. If you get a good one with high loyalty and he comes back next season, he will likely only demand 750K.

zmc everybody feels that way at first. There is a steep learning curve but once you get the hang of it it becomes much less time consuming. The best advice you will get is don't make any trades or sign any major free agents in your first season. Lots of guys sink their team because they trade a 68 rated Catcher who is great for an 82 rated SS who is fast but a bad baserunner healthy a great bunter and has a good attitude but can't hit or draw a walk or they sign an aging FA to a huge deal and 2 seasons later he can't play at even an average level anymore.

I don't think thats the worst advice ever. But zmccrite is already on the right track. Get a mentor, or two. And make sure you get their advice/input before you make any major moves. That way you can still experience all the nuances of what is a great game, and also avoid making any rookie mistakes that you'll regret in a few seasons. There is a stickied thread where there is a list of willing mentors. I'm on that list, feel free to SM any questions.

Actually the BEST advice you'll get is "If you're not sure, don't do it." Not to bust on bripat but he's a .500 owner with 4 division titles in 18 seasons. That's not a model for success. That said, if you can live with your mistakes, go crazy. If you can't, you can always dump that team and leave a mess for someone else.

Posted by bripat42 on 4/3/2013 12:04:00 PM (view original):The worst advice you will get is to sit on your hands and not make transactions just because you are a new owner.

My first team was a train wreck, but that team was competitive by the second half of my first season and won 90-plus games and a division title with that team by my fourth season. Had I not made trades or signed free agents my first season it would have taken me a hell of a lot longer to turn around that franchise.

Think for yourself. Trust your own analytical skills. Learn as you go.

and if you had ruined that team would you have dumped it and left a world trying to hawk a team with aging vets with huge long term contracts and no prospects because you were trade raped by experienced owners? Perhaps not which is a good thing but plenty of new owners have done just that.

Happens all the time. Like mike said this is a long term game and you gain little, if anything, by rushing into things. Some of us don't mind screwing up and then working to fix it but others become quickly discouraged when they realized they made several bad moves.

My point is that new owners can really F up a team with a rash of bad moves. Make one trade and you've lost 11 seasons of a stud and received an 83 OVR, 35 y/o pitcher with a 28 control. You can recover from that. But, if you compound the problem by signing 3 more 35 y/o to 5 year deals with your 6m training, you've created a nightmare that will last well over a real life year.

It's just better to know than to act. I have no idea what you did in your first season. But, maybe, you could have had a 90 win team with a division title in your 2nd/3rd season. And, in case you didn't realize it, you spoke in absolutes.

This has been great stuff... I have learned a lot. I'm starting to reach out to some of you for advice and I really appreciate it. I took over a 56-win team and having spent WAYYY too much time browsing around, my first attempt is to try to strengthen my major league roster with a couple of 32-35 year old players and sign them to small contracts for a quick fix until some of my younger guys start to mature.

I've decided against trades... At least for now. Although I am worried that I may have to release some players or send some down if I sign a couple of these free agents.

And who needs site mail when you all are throwing it at me faster than I can read it right here? Haha. Seriously, though, thanks. This helps tremendously.